


Albus Dumbledore: A Fae’s Heart – A Gift Beyond Measure

by agneskamilla



Series: Incomplete [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Background information
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 08:44:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11643006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agneskamilla/pseuds/agneskamilla
Summary: An excerpt from Albus' book mentioned inIncomplete.





	Albus Dumbledore: A Fae’s Heart – A Gift Beyond Measure

There aren’t any other species in the Wizarding world surrounded by more mysteries than the Fae. And not only in our world, but among Muggles they are quite often mentioned too.

Nowadays in Muggle literature they are usually portrayed in a positive, mostly romantic light. This attitude was greatly influenced by our very own magical historian and goblin-war expert who, as a hobby, wrote historic, so called fantasy novels in the Muggle world, painting many magical creatures in a new light for our fellow Muggles. Tolkien was a great help in building a bridge between Wizarding and Muggle folks.

The portrayal of the Fae wasn’t always this pleasant. In many countries’ folklore it’s a reoccurring theme that Fae leave their offspring with unsuspecting families, with malicious intent. In the middle ages many of these so called changelings were persecuted. In reality, the child’s difference comes from the manifestation of his or her magic, not necessarily from a Fae origin.

Muggle folklore often confuses the children from ordinary wizarding origins with the children from Fae descend. The confusion originates in the fact that Fae have been living hidden among wizards for the longest time. Today pure-blooded Fae are believed to have been extinct for many centuries. The Fae characteristics manifest with a not yet discovered pattern in the wizarding children into whose families Fae blood was introduced at some point. The manifestation of Fae characteristics can skip several generations, not uncommonly coming as a surprise even to the recipient.

Sadly for the affected children many peculiar and sometimes inhuman methods were known to identify a changeling and to replace it with the ‘real’ child, like confusing the changeling by cooking or brewing in eggshells. This nonsense was supposed to force the changeling to speak, revealing its true age. Much worse methods were trying to burn the changeling in the oven or hitting or whipping them. It’s hard to believe, but once it was thought that putting a changeling in a fire would cause it to jump up the chimney and return the human child.

Ironically these peculiar and biased beliefs led to one of the most convenient inventions of wizard kind.  In the 13th century young orphaned baby Ignatia Wildsmith was put in the fireplace in the belief that she was a changeling. Her dormant magic  spirited her away, right into the fortunately inactive fireplace of the witch living in the last house of the same village, but this incident still inspired Ignatia, the inventor of Floo powder, to work out a method that offers a less traumatic way of travelling between fireplaces. It has never been proved that Ignatia Wildsmith was descended from a Fae bloodline.

Beliefs regarding Fae are a bit more specific but no less dark in the Wizarding world. Most of my dear readers probably remember the nursery rhyme from their childhood.

_Fae’s love keeps young,_

_Fae’s heart lights dark,_

_Fae’s love given for keeps,_

_Brings you eternal beauty._

Many misunderstood these seemingly innocent words. Those of Fae origins has been reclusive for centuries because they feared that someone might try to use them out of ignorance or malevolence. Through the course of history the Fae were enslaved for their healing powers, forced into sexual relations to gain longevity, health and beauty for their capturers. But a Fae’s magic cannot be forced, its gifts can only be freely given.

Fae’s major magical characteristic is their affinity in Life Magic. Their abilities are mostly restricted to the area of healing and based on intent, not requiring spells or even a wand. Fae in general aren’t talented in the area of dark magic and offensive forms of magic, although they are known to be capable of spontaneous self-defence. Their healing abilities also don’t cover injuries originated in dark magic. They are creatures of light; cannot counter dark magic. Their healing powers establish a link between healer and patient, through which the life force and magic travels between them. The side effects of the process are the most gorgeous patterns of light and magic on both the healer’s and the patient’s skin. With time the healing link closes off. The speed of its closing depends on the amount of magic channelled through the link, the time of exposure and number of occasions when the link was used.

Those of Fae origins are also capable of limited self-healing. The healing process is like a magical transfusion right into the patient’s core; a gift freely given which cannot be coerced!

The most intriguing facet of the Fae’s magic is the bond established with their beloved. Before going into specifics of a Fae life bond, let me introduce to my dear readers a Middle European fairy tale from the 17th century.

 

_Once upon a time there was a princess, who lived in a tiny kingdom. She was so beautiful that one could look into the Sun, but not at her face. She was not only beautiful, but also kind-hearted and good. There were many who wished to woo her, but she refused to marry anyone she didn’t love. One day the princess walked in the forest, but she stumbled on a tree root and sprained her ankle. A beautiful young man appeared out of nowhere, and healed her leg, while painting her skin in the most wonderful playful lights. From that day on they regularly met in the forest and talked and laughed together. The princess fell in love with her mysterious rescuer._

_Oh, but the king became angry when his daughter refused to marry any of her suitors, and he was suspicious about her reasons. He assigned his most trusted sorcerer to find out the reason. The old wizard saw the young couple in the forest while disguised and realized what the young man was._

_The princess’ beloved was captured, tortured and cursed with a horrible enchantment that syphoned his life force away in the castle’s dungeons. The princess was worried and she was looking for her beloved. When she found him, he was but a withered shadow of his previous self, but the girl wasn’t looking for his beauty or his youth. She recognized her love and embraced him lovingly. The sorcerer and the king who attempted to pull them away from each other were forever blinded by the light of the magic that surrounded them._

_After that day the kingdom had a new king and queen, who both were so beautiful, that one could look into the Sun, but not at their faces, because they loved and were loved in return, glowing with love’s eternal power._

 

The delightful nursery rhyme I introduced to my dear readers above and the lovely 17th century tale both portray a life bond established between a Fae and their beloved. There is no greater offering than the unmeasurable gift of a Fae’s heart. It’s not a treasure which can be stolen, only given freely, and once it’s given, it’s indeed for keeps.

When a Fae bonds with their beloved, the couple’s life forces will start to circulate between them for the rest of their lives. If no violent cause of death occurs Fae and their bonded die together. The Fae blood ensures a slightly, but not significantly, longer life span than the average wizard’s.

Before the bond is settled, the circulation automatically triggers the same intriguing patterns that occur during the healing process. It’s an unconscious reaction, the magic reaching out to bring two halves together in a whole. Touching between the Fae and beloved further strengthen the phenomenon. The patterns are unique to the bonded couple; these motifs are richer and more pronounced than those in a healing link, mirrored on the Fae and their beloved. After the settling of the bond, the patterns can be consciously allowed to appear, making it easier for the bonded couple to stay inconspicuous. After a Fae establishes a life bond, the patterns occurring during healing somebody else than their beloved are significantly dimmer and simpler than the patterns they share with their bonded.

The other increment of a matured bond is the mutual ability to perceive the echoes of the other’s emotions through it. There has been known cases where the Fae was able to feel the emotions of their beloved even before the full maturing of the bond, but this ability comes available for both of them only with a full bond.

Even if the bond is the most fascinating and an indubitably romantic part of the Fae’s magic it can also bring a tragic fate in some cases. When the Fae’s feelings are unrequited, the bond is still born from the love of the Fae but never matures and slowly dies away. From an unfulfilled bond the life force of the Fae steadily flows away, prematurely aging and ultimately killing the Fae. Sadly the same occurs when a Fae loses their bonded. Not all the factors responsible for the speed of the process are known yet. Tragically, it can happen alarmingly fast, only in a few years’ time.

Only fully matured, adult Fae are able to establish a life bond.

Fae also establish links with their children, but it fades away when the child reaches adulthood. Such a link can temporarily sustain a Fae without a life bond, slowing their premature aging somewhat.

There still are a lot of misconceptions and superstitions surrounding the Fae. No beauty, youth or long life can be gained with force from a Fae. The biggest gift, a treasure beyond measure, can only be won. It’s the Fae’s heart, the Fae’s love that may gift one with the glowing beauty of being loved and in love, with the willingness and opportunity to be healed immediately from any ailments and with two lives intertwined and thus prolonged.

Nothing else but the Fae’s love can form a bond. And nothing else but a heart given in exchange can fuel it.

 

Excerpt from: Albus Dumbledore (2001): Relations and common misconceptions between humans and magical creatures, Chatter and Scribbler Publishing House, Hogsmeade

 

 


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